Self-Sufficiency, crafts, and homesteading ... with an adventurous spirit

Search This Blog

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Day 9 Purge Challenge

Day 5: I tackled my "Oh $#!* Kit" - also known as a first aid kit. It seems like I just went through it maybe a year ago but I found some things that expired in 2011! Fortunately, I don't use a lot of pharmaceuticals or personal care products so most of the kit is natural stuff I don't feel guilty throwing in the regular trash. There are a few expired packs of Benedryl though - I'll be dropping them off at my nearest pharmaceutical take-back location (I think Orange City PD is the closest but I'm not certain).

Well, I was too busy/not in the mood to purge on Day 6, 7, or 8. So today, Day 9, I set out to discard FORTY things to make up for lost time. Here's what I found -

Trash:
5 baggies of looseleaf tea (very old ... from when I lived in Gainesville)
Many bags of commercial tea that is rather old
1 bag of Incense cones (I don't burn much incense these days, I burn candles. The incense tends to give me a headache)
1 Round candle that PJ has rolled around on the floor and is covered in dust and dirt and other junk
1 mostly empty bag of Tea candles that came from Ikea - they do not stay lit and burn up really quickly when they do stay lit
1 Felt game pieces I made for PJ but didn't turn out as I'd like and pieces are too small to do much salvaging
1 threadbare sock
4 Drawer sachets that are very old and don't even have a smell anymore
1 A broken figuring that didn't reglue very well
1 Sports top that is stained brown from mud runs (it is supposed to be blue)
2 packets of Liquid rubber that hardened
1 Tiny monkey figuring - not sure where it came from but it is a choking hazard and I see no use for it in the future

Donate:
1 Tea box (I have two, both were left by an old tenant who traveled to India)
1 book
5 tops
1 calculator (I get a dozen or so a semester from lost in found in the chem lab)

Return:
1 Yarn from Hobby Lobby - not sure why I got it
1 Plastic dropcloth from Lowes - I don't remember why I got it but I don't think I need it
2 books, 1 to Lindsey one to Baron

Consignment:
1 infant hat (0-3 months)

Use up:
6 lined envelopes (I'll be mailing some letters to friends as a nice surprise ... you don't get much in the mail these days that isn't a bill or junk mail.
1 bath bomb

Well - it doesn't quite add up to forty (unless I count each tea bag - in which case I did GREAT!) but I think I did pretty good for one evening! It only took about 30 minutes of looking. It is starting to get harder, though - I'm having to make tougher decisions as the low-hanging fruit has been picked. I used to be able to just open one cabinet and find ten things right there. Now I have to make rounds around the house and decide where might possibly have something left to purge.

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

In other Turtle news, I'm looking for the perfect spot to set up my mini-homestead. My ideal location has the following characteristics:

rural (or at least has a rural feel)

offers some level of privacy

has water, electric, and septic (although I'm flexible in all areas depending on the "fit"...I will eventually have my own solar bank and rainwater catchment, storage and treatment and I am also willing to use a portable RV septic tank and just take it to a dump station periodically)

space for chickens/quail and a garden

close to water, rail to trail, or other nature adventures

Here's what I've done so far to find my future spot:

posted ads on Craigslist

posted ads in the West Volusia Beacon

posted comments in the Florida Tiny House Enthusiasts facebook page

networked with friends and other TH enthusiasts

applied for volunteer camp host positions in various Volusia parks

browsed a slew of websites looking for land to rent

If you have any suggestions to help my search, feel free to leave comments or private message me on facebook (Path Less Traveled).